I'm Still Here(#Wattys2016)

Chapter 2: Old Friends Reunited

Disclaimer: I don't own either Star Wars or Treasure Planet. They both belong to Disney. This is a purely fan-made story. It was written just for fun, NOT profit. No copyright infringement is intended.

Han was unsure of what to do after leaving a pregnant Leia back at their apartment. At first, he thought about going down to Chewbacca's apartment and asking the Wookiee if he wanted to take the Millennium Falcon out for a spin. Han reconsidered this when he realized just how late it really was. He also knew Chewie would be very upset at having been woken up in the middle of the night, even if it was to go fly the Falcon.  And the more he thought about it, Han got the feeling that, for some reason, he had no desire to go flying. That really surprised him. Eventually, Han found his way to a bar. He ordered a Corellian ale. Han figured the best to calm his nerves was to down his favorite alcoholic beverage. But then nearly an hour had passed, and the glass of Corellian ale still remained relatively untouched.

"First, you don't feel like flying the Falcon. And now you've barely touched your Corellian ale," Han muttered under his breath. What is with you, Solo? Pull yourself together!"

"Oh, look at that," came a voice from inside Han's head. "Your child hasn't even been born yet, and you've already abandoned them. You really are just like your father."

"I am NOTHING like my father!" Han replied in a harsh whisper. "And I NEVER will be! My kid will have everything I didn't while I was growing up, including a father's love. This is something I will swear until my dying breath."

"Oh, I doubt that," the voice hissed. "Your father was a damned coward. You are, too. And that's all you'll ever be."

"No," Han breathed. "No. That's not true! That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings," the voice continued. "You know it to be true! I mean, for all you claim to love your wife and friends, you can't even bring yourself to tell them your real name. That proves you're just a good-for-nothing coward."

"ENOUGH!" Han shouted out loud. He slammed his glass of Corellian ale on the table.

"Hey, bud!" yelled the bartender. "I don't know what your problem is. But one more outburst like that, and I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Don't bother," Han replied. "I can see myself out." He stood up. After paying for his drink, Han made to leave the bar. But then he noticed something that made him stop. A small group of people was huddled into a corner in the back of the bar. A man's voice could be heard coming from the  front of the crowd. He was regaling his audience with an exciting tale of adventure. Han couldn't see the man too well, but there was something in his manner to indicate that he was a pirate. This scene was not so unusual. In every bar and cantina throughout the Galaxy, one was bound to encounter pirates, smugglers and the like boasting of their exploits. Han, himself, had often recounted tales of his adventures from both his smuggling days, and later as a member of the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War.

Edging closer to the crowd, Han was finally able to get a good look at the man. He was much older than Han. Whatever color his hair used to be, it had gone gray long ago. The hair stuck out haphazardly from underneath the man's bandana. That's when Han noticed something peculiar about the man. The right side of his body had ordinary humanoid features. But the left side of the man's body was quite a different story. Both the arm and leg on that side were mechanical. He also had a cybernetic eye. The man was a, a...